Cordless Chainsaws and Outdoor Power Equipment

[rayjay257]

Where do you consider it inappropriate?
Does it replace a gas saw?

Here is a thread I started -

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/stihl-msa120c-cordless.310022/page-2#post-6379009

 

[Philbert]

Does it replace a gas saw?

The key thing is matching the saw to the task. This is a forum where some members have many different saws for many different applications.

Based on my experience, the battery saws I have used could replace a 40cc gas saw in most situations, especially if the user has a couple of batteries to swap out. There are, of course, other considerations when comparing gas to battery power, including ease of use, convenience, maintenance, remote use, cost, etc. But in terms of cutting power, a typical user could replace a smaller saw with a good battery saw, and do many tasks that a 50cc get used for. I really like my battery pole saw too.

And they just keep getting better.

Philbert

 

[rayjay257]

This pic tells my story. Big stuff, 20" Stihl 039. Anything 8" and under, Stihl MSA120c cordless. My 14" and 16" saws almost never get used.

 

[Philbert]

Silver maple.
Redback 120V, with 18" bar and (1) 2.0Ah battery.
(And 'safety chain'!)

Philbert

 

[Snap]

Since the title also noted "and outdoor power equipment" I thought this video might be of interest. It is long but talks about various aspects in the comparison of two battery and one gas trimmer.

 

[Philbert]

47 minutes?
What's the Cliff Notes version?

Philbert

 

[Snap]

47 minutes?
What's the Cliff Notes version?

Philbert

My wife is a teacher. Cliff Notes aren't allowed in our house.

 

[KiwiBro]

47 minutes?
What's the Cliff Notes version?

Philbert

Testers still felt the 2-stroke had more poke but once bogged took longer to get back up to working RPM's. Of the two battery options tested, a slight win to the Milwaulkee.

 

[Franny K]

47 minutes?
What's the Cliff Notes version?

Philbert

The Husqvarna one has a direct drive motor and a reverse mode. The others are shaft and gear. I think the Makita one is also motor near the string.

 

[Philbert]

Easy to get hung up in the specs (e.g. '36 Volt' versus '58 Volt'). Bottom line (no pun intended) is in the cutting / performance.

I had been using the Redback 120V string trimmer with frustrating results: it had tons of power, but I could not control it. Kept scalping my lawn. Then I realized that the head rotates in the reverse direction (counter-clockwise from the operator's point of view) from every other string trimmer I used. Once I got that into my head, I could use and control the power provided.

With battery powered tools, the location of the motor is sometimes offset to balance the weight of the battery. Or designers want to run wires instead of flex shafts. Lots of choices. Still, I am less picky about string trimmers and leaf blowers than I am about chainsaw, pole saw, (and now lawn mower) performance.

Philbert

 

[Snap]

I had been using the Redback 120V string trimmer with frustrating results: it had tons of power, but I could not control it. Kept scalping my lawn. Then I realized that the head rotates in the reverse direction (counter-clockwise from the operator's point of view) from every other string trimmer I used.
Philbert

That would be the same for the HD EGO trimmer. The reservation I'd have with that is the they only take a proprietary CC rotation head, not aftermarket products and there are "hate it" reviews for issues of the head so a buyer could be stuck after the sale.

 

[Philbert]

I first thought that EGO might be another 'flash-in-the-pan' company, but they have been around for some time now, and I have only seen positive reviews. Was exclusive to Home Depot in the US for a while. Seem to be more popular in Europe?

Philbert

 

[Snap]

I first thought that EGO might be another 'flash-in-the-pan' company, but they have been around for some time now, and I have only seen positive reviews. Was exclusive to Home Depot in the US for a while. Seem to be more popular in Europe?

Philbert

I've seen negative reviews but only about the heads. The company appears to try to make things right in replacing them, but it's like a (Chrysler) Jeep that I had that had 3 rearends installed in the first 40,000 miles. When the design is in question, and that's not commentary on EGO , no amount of warranty replacement is going to make it right when they don't redesign. That's why I stumble on a trimmer that will not accept aftermarket heads and turns in the opposite direction anyways. Their latest thing is a carbon fiber shaft. There might be a joke there about the name EGO.

 

[Philbert]

STIHL MSA 160 T top-handled arborist saw

https://www.stihl.com/p/media/download/en-com/msa-160-t-brochure.pdf



Philbert

 

[Snap]

STIHL MSA 160 T top-handled arborist saw

https://www.stihl.com/p/media/download/en-com/msa-160-t-brochure.pdf

View attachment 668797 View attachment 668798

Philbert

Handsaw quicker?

 

[Philbert]

Updated Craftsman Saws?
(excerpt from another site)

"Back in 2017, we reported that Stanley Black and Decker had purchased the Craftsman name from Sears . . .

Along with mowers, the new Craftsman lawn and garden lineup includes some landscaping tools on the brand’s cordless 20V and 60V platforms. One of the products the brand seems most excited about is an axial blower on the Craftsman V20 platform. It features 350 CFM at 100 mph, and a variable speed control with turbo boost.

We also had a good time playing with the new Craftsman cordless chainsaws. Both a 20-volt and 60-volt version are available. We thought that the 60-volt version, in particular, handled itself pretty well with this pine log."

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

The Field Keeps Expanding . . . (and 'adapting')

I was a little skeptical about the first battery-powered chainsaw I tried. But I knew that the cordless contractor tool lines were growing exponentially. Now we have lawn mowers, snowthrowers, and all kinds of outdoor power equipment I never dreamed of, powered by compatible batteries, along with ice fishing augers, lights, etc.

DeWalt introduced battery packs where the internal cells 'reconfigure' internal connections (series to parallel) to 'automatically' change from 20 volts to 60 volts, and a 'power station' that either charges the batteries, or 'back feeds' 1,800 watts @120 volts as a power source:
https://www.dewalt.com/products/gea...ion-and-simultaneous-battery-charger/dcb1800b


I recently saw that EGO introduced an adaptor for it's Li-ion battery packs that also let you tap into the power for other uses, such as charging your cell phone, or running smaller electronics from the same source. Very convenient to have it all on one battery platform.

https://egopowerplus.com/nexus-escape/


Who knows what we will see next week!

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Not a chainsaw, but definitely 'Outdoor Power Equipment'



Saw this at a trade show recently. Makita battery powered wheelbarrow!
https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/XUC01X1

Philbert

 

[Mandres]

I've seen that one too, kind of a strange product. I guess there's a hub motor in the front wheel? I don't see any drive chain/belt so it must be. I wonder how long it runs off a couple of 5ah batteries. It can't be that long, especially loaded down with weight

 

[Philbert]

I've seen that one too, kind of a strange product. I guess there's a hub motor in the front wheel? I don't see any drive chain/belt so it must be. I wonder how long it runs off a couple of 5ah batteries. It can't be that long, especially loaded down with weight

"You can use one or two Makita 18 Volt LXT® batteries: Use one 6 amp-hour battery and get up to 60 minutes of run time under load. "

More details on their website. Also a few YouTube videos if you look for them.

Philbert